Let's get this out of the way immediately: Johnny Damon is in denial. He is out of baseball because, in 2012 when he was 38 years old with bad wheels and a weak arm, he hit .222 and had a .281 on-base percentage in 207 at-bats for the Cleveland Indians -- after bouncing around the big leagues for three season.

And now that we've presented our case, we'll let Damon have his say. He told an Orlando sports-talk radio show that he got was blacklisted at the end of his career because he didn’t take performance-enhancing drugs.

“I played it clean,” Damon said. “I think I’m one of the only players to come out and say, ‘I guarantee you there is nothing I’ve done that enhanced my baseball career.’”

(Actually, many players have insisted they were clean, too.)

“You can’t fault someone who has a chance to make $20 million, $50 million, $100 million for going against the system to get to where they are,” Damon said. “You can’t fault them, but I’m as clean as they came and I got booted out of the game because I’m clean.”

Oh, the irony of this (crazy) claim: Damon says he is out of baseball because he wouldn't take performance-enhancing drugs, and a former Yankees teammate, Alex Rodriguez, has been banned for a year because he allegedly wouldn't stop taking them.

"Think about all the guys who have signed big contracts," Damon said. "I sound bitter but I’m really not. I have six great kids and I get to be around them every day. But there are certain guys who have gamed the system and they still are being patted on the back. ... I'm good, but I just don't want the young kids thinking about [using]."

Damon played 18 years in the majors, and his batting average declined each year for his final five seasons. That's why he's no longer playing.